In one sense, at the moment’s US congressional hearing on TikTok was an enormous success: It revealed, over 5 hours, how desperately the United States wants nationwide data-privacy protections—and the way lawmakers consider, in some way, that taking swipes at China is an acceptable different. 

For some, the job on Thursday was casting the listening to’s solely witness, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, as a stand-in for the Chinese authorities—in some instances, for communism itself—after which belting him like a aspect of beef. More than a couple of of the questions lawmakers put to Chew have been imprecise, speculative, and immaterial to the allegations towards his firm. But the members of Congress asking these questions feigned little curiosity in Chew’s responses anyway. 

Attempts by Chew, a 40-year-old former Goldman Sachs banker, to elaborate on TikTok’s enterprise practices have been continuously interrupted, and his requests to comment on issues supposedly of appreciable curiosity to members of Congress have been blocked and sometimes ignored. These alternatives to get the CEO on document, whereas underneath oath, have been repeatedly blown within the identify of expediency and for largely theatrical causes. Chew, in distinction, was the portrait of persistence, even when he was being talked over. Even when some lawmakers started asking and, with out pause, answering their very own questions.

The listening to may’ve been a flop, had lawmakers deliberate to dig up new grime on TikTok, which is owned by China-based ByteDance, and even hash out what the corporate may do subsequent to allay their considerations. But that wasn’t the goal. The House Energy and Commerce Committee was gathered, it stated, to research “how Congress can safeguard American data privacy and protect children from online harms.” And on that, the listening to revealed lots.

For one factor, it’s clear that the makes an attempt to isolate TikTok from its rivals—to deal with it in another way than dozens of different firms with atrocious information of endangering children and abusing non-public information—is a pointless train. Asking about TikTok’s propensity for surveilling its personal customers, Chicago congresswoman Jan Schakowsky warned Chew towards utilizing authorized, typical trade practices as a protection towards these wrongs. “You might say, ‘not more than other companies,’” she stated, including that she most popular to not “go by that standard.” 

OK. But why not? 

The fact is that if TikTok have been to fade tomorrow, its customers would merely flock to any variety of different apps that haven’t any qualms about surveilling probably the most non-public moments of their lives and amassing, manipulating, and promoting off delicate details about them. Excluding probably the most severe however largely unsubstantiated allegations leveled at TikTok—that it’s appearing or will act in coordination with Chinese intelligence providers—there wasn’t a priority about privateness raised by lawmakers Thursday that could not be addressed by existing legislation supporting a national privacy law. 

Ensuring that firms and the info brokers they enrich face swift reprisals for blatantly abusing consumer belief would take pleasure in addressing not solely the accusations levied towards TikTok, however deceitful practices widespread throughout your entire social media trade. 

The irony of US lawmakers pursuing an answer to an issue that’s already been solved by draft laws—however not really fastened as a consequence of its personal inaction—wasn’t completely misplaced on the members. While primarily targeted on a single firm, the listening to, Florida congresswoman Kathy Castor stated, ought to actually function a broader name to motion. “From surveillance, tracking, personal data gathering, and addictive algorithmic operations that serve up harmful content and have a corrosive effect on our kids’ mental and physical well-being,” she stated, Americans deserve safety, irrespective of the supply.